Down about 600,000 players in about seven months during the last report, Blizzard reported another loss in the second quarter. Subtracting another 300,000 players from the player base, the subscriber base for the World of Warcraft massive multiplayer online game has dropped by nearly one million users in about nine months. This decline may have been slowed by the recent move to convert the game to a free-to-play model. Players can play for an unlimited amount of time for free until a character hits level 20. In order to continue leveling the character to the current cap of 85, the customer has to start paying the monthly fee for online access.

News.au has an [interesting article] about a pretty freaking smart 13 year old in Texas that stole his fathers credit card, called the credit company to extend a line of credit, and then took himself and a few pals on a $30,000 shopping spree that ending up with them in a hotel playing Halo with a few $1000 a night ladies of the night.. LOL!

What gets me is this Kid told the prostitutes that he and his friends where ‘little people’ from the circus and since state law doesn’t allow discrimination they had no right to refuse them! LOL!!!!

on top of that, then the police asked why a 13 year old would want escorts he informed them that he thought it was what you did when you win won a World of Warcaft contest!!

So right there my friends proves that video games don’t cause violence.. it causes 13 year olds to hire hookers and play Halo! Even at 13 I would have known when to put the game down..LOL

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And I should have known that this story was fake when a 13 year old would choose HALO over a hot chick willing to give it up. [GameRush] has reported that this whole thing was a fake and myself and a few other sites (like G4) got just as duped.

Many are speculating about what will occur in a judgment one way or another. If Donnelly and MDY Industries prevail, will WoW no longer have the power to ban players who use Glider or any other mod, bot, or alteration to the program? Most agree this won’t happen, as the license agreement to play the game is pretty air tight–and even Glider’s FAQ concedes the bot is unauthorized, and players take a risk by purchasing and using it in the game. Further, many of those players have been caught and banned by the system, despite paying flat or monthly fees to MDY Industries for Glider... More at the link ..

he deeds of every great hero inspire countless songs of triumph, virtue, and epic adventure. But although a hero’s glory endures in song, the creators of those songs are seldom remembered. After ages spent singing of the heroic exploits of others, the bards of Azeroth are finally stepping into the spotlight on their own terms, proving once and for all that while just about anyone can pick up a sword or cast a spell, only a true hero can vanquish evil with the power of ROCK!

Armed with a trusty axe, killer riffs, and a ton of attitude, the guitar-wielding bard is the second hero class to be introduced in the upcoming Wrath of the Lich King expansion for World of Warcraft. The bard excels both as a solo performer and as part of a solid group lineup, able to front in a number of roles as varied as his musical repertoire. The bard’s extensive Metal skill line grants the potent transformational ability “I Am Murloc,” as well as direct damage effects like “Epic Solo” that will rock foes into oblivion while powerful Indie debuffs such as “Tape Jam” and “Shoegazer” keep them in check. If things heat up, the bard’s Punk tree can support the party with a wide range of abilities, such as “Nonconformity,” which dispels fear, mind control, and similar effects, or “Mosh Pit,” which briefly boosts the group’s movement speed while its members stay within range.

To fuel his or her powers, the bard uses a brand-new resource system called “groove.” Selecting an ability launches the Fret Bar, which will display a number of riffs the player needs to activate using a new guitar-based keyboard peripheral that will ship with Wrath of the Lich King (a special Frostmourne-themed axe will be sold separately). The better the player’s accuracy and timing, the more powerful the resulting ability becomes. The riffs also become more difficult as the bard’s abilities progress, ensuring that the bard gameplay experience remains fast-paced and skill-oriented. Executing abilities also builds up groove, which further fuels the bard’s epic rock powers. Some abilities such as “Epic Solo” require a certain amount of groove to be unleashed, and the more groove, the more powerful the effect.

The time has come for the bards to claim glory for themselves. No longer will they remain shrouded in obscurity while less-talented adventurers are hailed by the masses.

Now, before you go off the handle here, we all know this is an April Fool. However, looking a little deeper into the joke shows a whole new possible mode of gameplay for an MMO RPG (or just a game concept in general) Merging an MMO with something like Guitar Hero could be interesting. Playing a Bard in a party where you really need to PLAY your instrument instead of hitting a button and playing wack-a-mole. Granted the keyboard controls would suck. but a PS2 to USB converter is already out and Blizzard could make even more money by selling Guitars! LOL